Along for the Ride
by superprincesspea
Summary: What if Beth didn't get kidnapped by the police officers from Grady memorial? What if Daryl and Beth had left the funeral home at the same time?
1. A Stolen Kiss

The bodies of two Atlanta police officers were slumped on the ground. Their blood soaking the dirt road. Daryl had almost asked Beth to leave the funeral home without him but the hesitancy in her eyes had changed his mind. Instead of splitting up they had fought their way through the dead as a team. Beth was learning, she was getting better at defending herself and if they were going to be out here alone then he needed to trust that she could do that.

If they hadn't have stuck together then Daryl might not have been there to pull Beth from the road when the black car had swerved to hit her. He might not have been there to fight the two uniformed arseholes that jumped out. Anything could have happened to Beth if he hadn't have been right behind her and the idea of losing her sent a cold chill along his spine.

Daryl picked his bolt from the skull of one of the police officers and wiped it on the back of the man's uniform before reloading it in his crossbow again. He turned to Beth and before he opened his mouth to say 'what now?' her arms were wrapping around his neck and her lips were pressing to his. Soft yet firm, a sudden thrill of electricity coursing through his body before the dull realisation that: _this was Beth_. Daryl's eyes grew wide as he pictured Hershel and pushed her away,

"Th'fuck ya do that for girl?" he growled before opening the door of the police officer's car.

"I just…" Beth began but Daryl didn't want to hear the answer. He grabbed her arm and pushed her into the passenger seat before he slammed the door.

 _Jesus Christ_. Daryl grabbed his cigarettes and lighter out of his jeans to light a smoke. His heart was racing and he wasn't quite ready to climb into the car with Beth. He took along drag and blew the smoke out through his nose while he watched a walker staggering towards him. He held the cigarette between his teeth and aimed his bow, the arrow hit the target right in the centre of the walker's skull and already he was feeling calmer. He was taking back control. It was just a kiss, just a small friendly kiss. Daryl might not have had many, well any, friendly kisses in his entire life but it was the sort of thing that people did all the time. He finished his cigarette, retrieved his bolt and finally got into the car.

"Thank you, for saving me just now."

"I don't need ya thanks," he turned to Beth, her eyes were as big and blue as he had ever seen them. They reminded him of a trip he had taken once to the Bellwood quarry, the light had shone electric blue off the water and Daryl had thought it was one of the most special places he'd ever seen. Not that he'd seen much but even a dirty redneck like himself knew when something was special.

Daryl stared out the open road before them and had no clue where they should drive to. The whole world was wide open with opportunities and only the dead standing in the way. He imagined if it was just himself and Merle they might actually find fun out here. Driving, riding, hunting, fishing, camping, all the things he liked to do but completely uninhibited. Except for the dead. Daryl cast a sidelong glance to Beth, although he wouldn't admit it, didn't even like admitting it to himself, she was fun too. He liked teaching her how to track and she looked so damn cute holding his crossbow. She looked so fucking adorable and he hated himself for even thinking that.

"Where do ya wanna go?" he asked finally and she shrugged her shoulders. "Come on girl… this is your adventure, I'm just along for the ride."

"Adventure?" a sad smile tugged at her lips, "I always wanted to go to…" she looked him up and down and hesitated.

"Go on…"

"It's stupid," she crossed her arms over her chest and Daryl's eyes watched the movement with interest until he realised he was staring. Staring right at her chest. _That fucking kiss_. He swallowed down hard.

"I always wanted to go to Disneyland."

"Disneyland?" Daryl snorted, "fuckin' pint sized walkers in Mickey mouse ears."

"Oh yeah," Beth's eyes went even wider, "that's kinda sad…"

"Shit Beth… I didn't…" Ah fuck, he didn't mean to upset her. Daryl bit the inside of his cheek and tried to get a grip of himself. He'd been staring at her chest, thinking about that kiss and she was asking to go to Disneyland. He was an arsehole. _Fucking hell_ , he was perverted arsehole.

"No… you're right. It was just something me and Maggie always talked about doing," Beth whispered and turned away from him to stare out of the window. A long silence filled the car and Daryl had no clue what to say or do. He knew next to nothing about women and he knew next to nothing about comforting people.

"I guess where ever we go doesn't matter. Every where's _fucked_ right?" Beth said the swear word with a nervous laugh.

"Watch ya cussin' girl…. I'm already makin' a bad influence on ya," his eyes swept along her body once more. _That damn kiss_. "Ya Daddy wouldn't like it." That's right Hershel wouldn't like him eye fucking his daughter. Daryl pulled at the collar of his shirt and checked the top button was open. Ever since he'd sat in the car he'd barely been able to breathe.

"My Daddy liked you and I'm not a little girl… I can say _fuck_ if I wanna…" Beth said the words with a mix of certainty and uncertainty. But it wasn't when she said 'say fuck' that had his mind racing it was the idea of 'fuck,' and not saying it. Doing it.

Fucking with Beth? He almost chocked on the stifling air of the car. How could he even think the word in the same sentence as her? She was so pure, untouched, creamy soft skin… his mind wondered before he snapped out of it. She was a nice girl. The sort of girl a man had to beg permission from her father before he could take her to see a movie. Daryl didn't think he'd ever met a girl like that and if he had there was no way she would look at him, speak to him and especially not kiss him.

How old was Beth anyway? A realisation hit him and his stomach flipped over. Beth was probably half his age and completely untouched. Beth was definitely not for fucking and he was feeling more like a perverted arsehole with each passing second. Two days they had spent together and after one chaste kiss he was turning into…. _fucking Merle_.

Daryl started the car and with no destination in mind he began to drive down the road. The sound of the engine filled up some of the silence. Ten and two he told himself, eyes to the front. Maybe if he ignored her long enough he'd stop letting his mind wander and they could go back to just being whatever the hell it was they were before.

Of course his mind did wander anyway. When was the last time he'd had sex? A year? Two years? Since the dead had started walking he hadn't really thought about it. Even before the dead had walked he barely thought about it. If the opportunity fell on in his lap he took it but he never searched it out. He was happy with his hand, most times he was happy with nothing at all.

Merle always said that there was "somethin' wrong with ya… maybe ya a faggot and ya too much of a pussy to admit it… that right Darylina? Ya wanna fuck wi boys." Sometimes he'd wondered if Merle was right but the way his cock was twitching after the briefest of kisses from Beth told him there wasn't anything wrong with him at all. Maybe he just didn't like the trashy women he met with Merle. The kind of women that gave you the clap and made your dick off. Or maybe he was just a pervert that wanted to fuck pretty teenage girls, he almost wanted to be sick.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked and the shock of her sing song voice interrupting his train of thought made his foot slam down hard on the break.

"Yeah I'm fuckin' fine… stuck with you an' nowhere to go 'cept fuckin' Disneyland? Why don't ya fuckin' grow up Beth? Jesus… I ain't no goddamn babysitter."

"Don't do that," he voice was soft, calm and suddenly he felt even worse. It wasn't her fault that he was a pervert. He felt her hand reaching out and wrapping around his forearm but he couldn't look at her. He just looked straight ahead. "Take me home," she whispered.

"The farm?"

"Yeah… Maggie might go there and if she doesn't… at least I'll have you," Beth swept her hand along his arm, to rest at his shoulder and his heart was pounding now. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him with all her gentle touches? "Don't shut me out… I'm not a baby and you're not just along for the ride. I'm glad I'm with you."

Daryl looked at her then. She might not have been as old as he was in years but in other ways she was older. "You get some shut eye an' then we'll switch…" he started the car again, trying to ignore the big blue eyes which he could still feel watching him. Why was she looking at him like that? Did she have any fucking idea what she was doing?

* * *

 **A/N** \- Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it :)


	2. Georgia Peach

"Wake up," Daryl's voice rasped.

Beth had no idea how long she had been sleeping but it felt like mere seconds as she peeled her eyes open. "My turn to drive?" she groaned.

"Nah…" he held open the passenger side door, "I've found us a place for tonight."

Beth wiped the sleep from her eyes and stepped out from the warmth of the car into the cool night air. They were pulled up outside a farm house and her heart ached. She was glad that they were making their way back home to her own little farm house where she could run up the familiar porch steps, fling open the door and fall on to her Daddy's chair (which was the most coveted spot in the house).

"I already made sure it was clear 'fore I woke ya," Daryl rasped as he led the way onto the porch.

Beth stifled her yawn and her fingers found the edge of her hunting knife, "I could have helped."

Daryl grunted and looked like he was going to say something before he flung open the front door and allowed her to walk in first. _Like a true southern gentleman_. Clear the house of walkers then hold the door open for the lady, the idea brought a small smile to her face. Daryl was a gentleman in his own way.

Beth headed straight up the stairs with Daryl close behind. The hallway contained 4 doors, all of them open. A bathroom and three bedrooms. Beth had the sudden realisation that she'd probably be spending the night alone. At one time she would have hated sharing a room if she didn't have to, but now she hated the loneliness of an empty bed. Two of the bedrooms were kitted out in blues, reds, and dirty socks. She imagined the boys who would have been sleeping in them before she headed to the master bedroom and fell down on the double mattress with a sigh.

Until this moment she had never realised just how uncomfortable the beds at the prison had been. The soft, squishy feeling under her body was like floating on a cloud. Beth looked to Daryl to find him watching her from the hallway. He wasn't just watching, he was staring, staring straight at her in the way that only he could. Like she was a target and he was the arrow. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks like it always did when she caught his eyes on her like _that_.

Daryl cleared his throat and began to walk the five short steps down the hallway to where she was lying. A sudden image of him climbing onto the bed beside her was both thrilling and frightening. For a moment her breath caught in her throat and the flush of her cheeks spread across her entire body like wildfire. But he didn't jump onto the bed, he grasped the handle of the door and murmured a curt, "g'night."

"Wait…" Beth called before he shut himself on the outside. "Leave it open… I don't wanna be alone. I mean, if you leave your door open… and I leave mine then it'll be almost like we're… sharing a room."

Daryl's heavy gaze flickered to meet hers and she watched him swallow down the hard lump in his throat before he let the handle slip from his grasp. He nudged the door fully open with the toe of his boot and then silently turned away.

"Goodnight," Beth whispered before she stretched lazily across the bed and nestled her head into the pillow.

* * *

Light streamed through the window, waking Beth from a fitful sleep. Memories of her father and Maggie had plagued her nightmares. At one point when the room had been so dark that she could barely make out the shape of her own hand, she had considered climbing into bed next to Daryl.

She'd thought about the way his arms had wrapped around her waist as he pulled her from the path of a speeding car. The weightlessness of being lifted by him and the safety that his embrace brought. Then the kiss they had shared unexpectedly. Beth wasn't exactly sure why she had kissed him except that in that moment she had felt alive and it had seemed like the thing to do. His lips had been softer than she had expected especially since the rest of Daryl was so rough and _hard_. She'd thought about him for most of the night, letting him replace the nightmares until she had finally drifted back to sleep.

Beth rolled from the bed and pulled her wayward hair into a ponytail before she tip toed from her room and headed down the stairs. She wasn't quite sure why she was creeping around. Maybe it was the silence of the house or maybe it was because she didn't belong here. This wasn't her home.

A noise from outside caught Beth's attention and she walked through to the kitchen to catch sight of Daryl out in the yard. It wasn't until she was standing just outside of the backdoor that she realised what he was doing. He was stripped down to his waist and buckling up his jeans, with a bar of soap and a bucket of water at his feet.

Beth shrank back into the doorway so he couldn't see her and for a split second she was going to turn and leave. It was wrong to spy on someone, what would her father say? But the sight of the water trailing along his back and the ripple of muscles moving under his skin was hypnotic. No matter how much she knew she shouldn't look she couldn't help herself.

So fast was Beth's mind racing at the sight of his body and the fear of being caught that at first she didn't notice the angry red strips of skin that scarred his back. When she did see the marks Beth covered the gasp that escaped her mouth and felt even worse for spying on him. Yet she didn't stop. Eventually Daryl tipped out the bucket and snatched up a clean shirt from the fence. He threw it over his wet torso where water seeped through the material and dripped from the wet tendrils of his hair.

 _God, what was wrong with her?_ What would her Mama have said if she caught her sneaking around watching men washing their bodies? She tried her best to feel ashamed but couldn't. She was 18, she was allowed to see a man naked. She was allowed to want to see it. She was allowed to do other things too. At her age Maggie was sneaking around and getting into all kinds of trouble.

Beth trailed one finger lightly across her lips before she stepped out into the sunshine, "good morning."

Daryl lit a cigarette and held hit between his teeth while he pulled on his boots. Then between puffs he nodded to the bucket, "ya wanna get washed up?" He didn't wait for her answer before he was heading off around the side of the house, bucket in hand. He was acting weird. It wasn't like Daryl had ever spoken much but now he seemed to be avoiding her.

Beth watched him walk away before she spotted a cluster of trees and recognised them immediately. Her mouth watered at the idea of eating a freshly picked peach as she made her way to the fence. She climbed on the first rung and reached up to twist the plump fruit from the branch. The flesh was soft and perfectly ripe beneath her fingers. She held the peach against her nose to breath in the sweet scent with a happy sigh.

The smell transported her and she was reminded of long lazy summers on the farm with Shawn and Maggie, staying up late to tell ghost stories by the light of the moon while the crickets sang. The tinny sound of her Daddy's radio as they jumped lakeside cannon balls. Her first summer kiss where ice cream cold lips melted into butterflies. Daryl had been right yesterday, it was summer and it could be an adventure if they wanted it to.

Before Beth took a bite from her peach she could hear Daryl making his way back from where ever he had disappeared to and she plucked a little piece of summertime for him before jumping down from the fence. Daryl set the bucket on the grass and watched her as she walked over to him. "Perfectly ripe for plucking," she said before giving him a coy smile.

* * *

 _What the fuck? Ripe for the plucking. Was this girl trying to kill him?_ He stared at the delicate fruit as she gently placed it in to his calloused hand. Maybe Beth wasn't as innocent as he had thought or maybe he was so filthy minded that suddenly everything was an innuendo. Daryl took one big sloppy bite of the peach before he looked back at Beth and nearly chocked on his mouthful. _Holy shit_ , she had peach juice dripping unhindered all the way down her chin. Before he realised that his hand was no longer connected to his brain he was touching her.

 _Fucking hell_ , his thumb was brushing against her chin and she was just standing there, she was fucking letting him. Beth sucked her bottom lip and Daryl thought his heart might burst out of his chest it was pounding so hard. "I er… I'm gonna leave… ya can erm… get…" Daryl tripped over the bucket of water that he was looking for, spilling it everywhere and he could hear Beth laughing at him.

 _Jesus Christ_ , he grabbed the handle and marched back around the side of the house as quickly as he could, without looking back. _What kind of a fucking grown ass man are you Daryl Dixon?_ He chastised himself. _Acting like a fucking idiot_. How the hell was he going to spend any length of time with Beth if he could barely make it through the morning without tripping over his words and his own feet.

Beth was probably just being fucking friendly and he was in some kind of porno movie of his own making. _Good lord_ , they needed to find some sort of civilisation so he could hand Beth over and find a lay with someone his own age. Clearly his efforts last night had done nothing to squash his growing libido. _Goddamnit_ , he wiped his hand over his face and cringed. His _efforts_ , and with the fucking door open too.

Daryl fetched another bucket of water then hid in the living room while Beth bathed. He tried to put the idea of what she was doing out of his mind. When had he become so depraved? He was like a man starved and she'd given him a single crumb. One delicious crumb that had his mind begging for more. _Naked Beth. Wet and naked_. He was doing a damn awful job of not thinking about her. He should have gone out hunting instead of sitting around eating peaches and fetching fucking water all morning like a fucking sissy.

"You said we could do whatever I wanted to right? That this was my adventure?" the happy sing song chirping of Beth's voice scared the crap out of him. And for a moment he worried that he had been thinking out loud.

Daryl scratched at the hair on his chin, "depends what ya wanna _do_."

"Follow me…"

Daryl threw his crossbow over his shoulder and followed Beth to the garage where she waved a dramatic flourish and announced, "take your pick."

"No."

"Come on… it'll be fun and you said that the car was almost outta gas. We're not too far from home."

"I ain't riding no fuckin' bicycle."

Beth pouted and cocked her head to the side. "Well it's up to you _,_ but I'm gonna gather some more of those delicious Georgia peaches then I'm leaving on one of those bikes." She sashayed passed him.

Daryl stared at the neat row of bicycles with a scowl. _Take his pick._ He craned his neck to make sure Beth was out of sight before he grabbed the biggest one and snorted. He'd always wanted his own bike. Suddenly he felt eight years old again then he pictured the way Beth's ass might look when she was cycling and felt like a dirty old pervert. This adventure was definitely going to fucking kill him.

* * *

A/N- this was originally going to be a one shot but then so many of you followed it I decided I'd write some more! :)


	3. The Three Questions

Daryl had to admit that the bicycles were a good idea. With Beth he coasted along the road with the wind in his hair and the sun on his back. They didn't have to worry about gas, terrain or blocks in the road. All they had to do was fly. He felt more carefree riding this bike than he had done in years, even the years before the dead had started walking. He pedalled hard to the rise of the hill and waited for Beth. When she reached him he turned to her with a squint as the sun was right behind her, lighting up her blonde hair like a halo. He found himself saying "race ya down?"

A grin spread across her face before she pushed off and kicked her legs out to the side to let gravity do all the work. Daryl chuckled as he watched her go before he pushed his bike over the edge and shouted, "wooo weee!"

The bike coasted to a stop and he called out, "let's stop a while," before he hopped off his new toy. Daryl leant his bike against a tree and waited for Beth to join him. "I saw lunch," he nodded to the meadow where he had spotted a rabbit darting through the grass.

Daryl slung his crossbow off his back and checked the bolt was loaded before he put his index finger over his lips to tell Beth to keep quiet. The grass of the meadow was as high as his knee as they stalked their way to the centre of the field and knelt down for cover. Beth knelt besides him and he was acutely aware of her knee pressing into his thigh. He looked down to the point where they were connected then back at her face as she was watching him with an expectant smile.

Daryl's mouth formed the shape of her name but he couldn't push the words past his lips. He had no idea what he wanted to say. _Did she want him to say something?_

The tell-tale rustling of the grass caught their attention and told him where to aim so when the cottontail leapt from its hiding place it met his bolt with precision.

"Ya wanna try?" he asked Beth but before he could hand her his crossbow he saw movement further across the meadow.

"Hey!" a voice hollered. Daryl readied another bolt before he jumped up to see a boy waving his arms and running towards them.

After everything he'd seen he thought better of trusting people. He swept his arm around Beth to push her behind him while he took aim at the stranger, "that's close enough."

The boy bent over and caught his breath and in between gasps he said, "I saw you a ways back… I been running after ya'll... didn't think I'd catch you."

Daryl looked to Beth who now had her hunting knife in hand and felt a small prick of pride before he asked, "ya on your own?"

"I have a small group." The boy looked Beth up and down in a way that Daryl didn't like before he said, "don't I recognise you?"

* * *

"I dunno… my Daddy owned a farm not too far from here," Beth shrugged. She couldn't quite place him but his dirty blonde hair and lopsided grin did seem familiar.

"You Maggie Greene's kid sister?" he straightened up and moved his aviator sunglasses from his nose to the top of his head. "I'm Matt, I was in her year at school."

 _Matt_ , memories came flooding back. She remembered him wearing his football jersey and hanging around in Maggie's group of friends. He'd been younger then, 18, and years had passed since she saw him last. "Yeah, I'm Beth Greene and this is Daryl Dixon."

"He gonna stop aiming his bow in my face?" Matt smiled before he flicked his aviators back over his dark eyes. Beth glanced to the crossbow with a nod and Daryl grunted before he lowered it.

"Just don't try nothin' stupid," he rasped with a scowl as he squared up to Matt.

"I won't," Matt held his hands up. "It's been ages since I saw more survivors, you guys have a group 'round here?"

"How many walkers you killed?" Daryl fetched the rabbit and pulled the bolt from its flesh never taking his eyes of Matt.

"Er.. I dunno… a lot."

Daryl pointed the bloody bolt at Matt, "how many people ya killed?"

Matt scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh, "people?... four."

"Why?" Beth asked the third question and Matt's head flicked to look at her.

"Because I had to… look I know what it's like out here, we've ran into our fair share of crazy people," he looked to Daryl. "But my group we're alright, we had a house for a while but it got overrun a couple of days ago so we've been camping. Maggie not with you?"

Beth tried to keep her voice level and found she could only manage a single word, "no."

"I'm sorry, she was a real nice girl. Ya'll are welcome to come back with me."

Daryl stood in front of her like a wall, his broad shoulders blocking her sight of Matt. "Ya trust him? Wanna see his people?" he asked in a whisper.

Beth stood on the tips of her toes to peak a look over Daryl. "You're letting me decide?" her voice cracked. She wasn't used to all the decision making and responsibility that Daryl was giving her. He was treating her like an equal rather than bossing her around like everyone usually did.

"He's your _friend_ ain't he?" the words had a hint of venom in them and she blew out a loud sigh.

"He's Maggie's friend…" she wasn't sure why she felt the need to clear that up to Daryl but she didn't want him thinking of her as if she was 'Matts' anything.

Beth looked at Matt again, and remembered the football games she had gone to with her big brother and sister. Matt had been the star of the team and everybody loved him. The chance of more survivors was too tempting to pass up. "I think we should try."

* * *

The boy seemed harmless and Daryl wanted to do whatever would make Beth happy. The first hint that anything was amiss with Matt and his group he would give him a bolt to the skull without hesitation.

Daryl passed Beth her bike before he grabbed his own and they rode alongside Matt as he led the way to his camp and already Daryl found himself not liking the situation one little bit. But not in the way he had expected. All morning he'd wanted to find another group so he could stop himself from focusing on Beth but he hadn't wanted to find _Matt_. His fingers clenched the handle bar of his bike while he thought about mowing the boy down.

 _Boy_ , Daryl cringed. The 'boy' was a good five or six years older than Beth. But he wasn't prepared to call the baby faced boy (who looked like he'd stepped out of a fucking Abercrombie commercial) a _man_.

Daryl had to listen to the two of them exchanging happy stories about Maggie and other mutual friends for the whole journey. He felt more like he didn't belong now than ever before and decided that if the group looked decent he might leave Beth with them and head off on his own. Then he wouldn't have to spend his day thinking about inappropriate fantasies and feeling like an asshole.

"Just over here," Matt smiled as he vaulted over a fence and waited on the other side with his arms outstretched to help Beth. The shit eating grin on the boy's face made Daryl's teeth clench.

He let his bicycle fall to the floor so he could reach the fence before Beth. He climbed over it, forcing Matt to move further down the trail, and then turned around to help her. As he put his hands on Beth's waist he had the sudden realisation that the girl didn't need any goddam help over a fucking fence and he was acting like an idiot.

Bath's waist was so ridiculously dainty as he lifted her and yet again he had his hands on her. He couldn't stop himself. She smiled, her big blue eyes sparkling and Daryl could barely look at her as he dropped her to the ground. Beth's hands rested on his chest as she told him "thanks."

"Ain't nothing'," Daryl muttered as he pulled away from her and grabbed his smokes out of his pocket. This was getting out of fucking control. What the hell was wrong with him? Part of him wanted to be rid of Beth Greene and all her complications and the other part of him was about ready to take a piss up her leg like a fucking animal marking a tree. He let the pretty boy lead the way with Beth while he took long angry drags of smoke.

* * *

Beth could see blue tents peeking through the trees and she smiled at Matt. It was so weird to meet someone from her old life so long after the world had fallen apart. She hadn't spoken to Matt more than a couple of times but talking to him about Maggie, school and all the places in town she used to hang out made him feel more familiar.

"Hey, everybody! I found some folk," Matt shouted as they walked into the centre of the camp.

First to greet them was an older man who had grey hair and a moustache, "this is Clive," said Matt before the man extended his hand to Beth and she took it. His hand was strong, firm and his blue eyes bore into her like he was trying to read her thoughts before he stared at Daryl.

"This your daughter?" Clive asked but it was more like a command.

Beth felt the colour rush to her cheeks. Surely this man couldn't really think Daryl was old enough to be her father? She wasn't sure how old he was but she definitely didn't think of him like _that_. "No, we're friends, I'm Beth Greene and this is Daryl Dixon," Beth answered before Daryl had a chance to.

"Dixon hmm," Clive grunted. "Crompton, what did I tell you about bringing strangers to our camp?" he pointed at Matt and then looked at Daryl once more.

"They're not strangers. I went to school with Beth's sister."

"Daddy, be _nice_ ," a female voice called from behind Beth. She turned to see a brunette walking out from the trees with a rifle slung over her shoulder and a rabbit in each hand.

* * *

"This is my daughter Josephine," Clive said never taking his eyes of Daryl. He knew what the old man was probably thinking. That he was a no good criminal and he didn't want the likes of him around his little girl, even if she was a grown woman. It hadn't escaped his notice that the man hadn't offered to shake his hand.

"Jo," the woman threw the rabbits on the ground before extending her hand to Daryl and then Beth. "Nice to meet you both."

Jo reminded him of his third grade teacher with her heart shaped face and mess of curly hair. He passed her the rabbit he'd killed in the meadow and she threw it with the others.

"This everyone?" Daryl asked.

" _He's_ having himself a nice long nap," Clive's eyes were wide and filled with annoyance as he looked at Jo. She let out a sigh and wiped her hand over her face before she disappeared into a tent.

"I'm gonna check the rest of the traps," Clive eyeballed Daryl as he strode past.

"Does she have a baby?" Beth asked Matt with a hopeful look on her face.

"Yeah," Matt laughed. "Good one… he might as well be. Mitch… he's Jo's ex-husband, he tagged along for the ride with Jo an' her Daddy when the world turned to shit on account of her Daddy bein' an ex-marine."

Daryl snorted, he had to admire the balls of a man who would follow his ex and her gun toting Daddy around in the apocalypse. He wanted to meet this fucker. He took a seat next to the burnt out fire and began to gut the squirrels. He had a strong feeling that he would need to prove himself in a big way before Sergeant Eyeball stopped looking at him like he was a streaming pile of shit. Then he realized that despite his previous thoughts there was no way he would leave Beth anywhere or with anyone, even if she was driving him to distraction.

* * *

A/N- thank you for reading. Hope you like the new additions to the story. I wasn't sure how much I could write with only the two of them. Writing Bethyl is harder than I anticipated! Would love to hear feedback :)


	4. Bitch

Daryl began to light a small campfire to cook the skinned rabbits on.

"I'm gonna go help them," Beth pointed to Jo and Matt who were cleaning clothes down by a stream.

"You're helping me," Daryl began to light some kindling to put on the fire.

"You don't need help," Beth said with a small smile as she cocked her head to the side.

 _True_ , he didn't need her help but he didn't want her to be too far away from him. Daryl looked to the stream where Matt and Jo were dunking clothes. It was only about 50 meters away but he didn't exactly trust these people. He didn't think they were the sort to kill them in their sleep but he wasn't sure of their capabilities when it came to the walkers. Plenty of inept people had managed to survive the end of the world through sheer luck and before he knew exactly what kind of people these were he wasn't going to be risking Beth's life.

Beth began walking away. Daryl caught up to her and grabbed her arm, "first sign of trouble ya run back to me… don't be fightin' walkers or riskin' yourself… ain't nobody more important than _you_." The second the words left his mouth he regretted them. That wasn't the sort of thing he said to anyone, ever. Merle had always told him there wasn't anyone more important than them. Him and Merle, he'd spent his whole life convinced that his brother was the only person he could trust and it was hard to shake a lifetime of conditioning.

Beth wrapped her arms around his body and pressed her cheek to his chest, "I'll be alright."

Daryl pulled away from here tight embrace and was suddenly a little relieved that she would be down by the stream instead of sitting by him and watching his every move with her big blue eyes.

/

When the mysterious Mitch finally emerged from his tent he didn't say a single word, just took a leak on a tree, unfolded a sun lounger, placed it where the sun beamed though the trees then lay back down with a paperback and a smug smile. A fucking sun lounger, Daryl could hardly believe his eyes. In a camp that barely had any supplies, this asshole had a piece of furniture for relaxing on.

"Are you serious?" Jo said as she returned from the river with an armful of wet laundry. Mitch simply ignored her and carried on flipping through the pages of his book.

Jo began to hang up the clothes on a washing line that ran between two trees and Daryl thought he had never seen such furious pegging. Like the woman was going to rip the clothes in half as she stared a hole in the back of Mitch's head of jet black hair.

Daryl skewered the rabbits on two long sticks that he had found and put the meat over the fire. His job was done now and he suspected he'd been more help to the group in the last hour than Mitch had been in the last year. It made him feel glad that he'd been surviving with men like Rick, Glenn and Tyreese. It made him feel like they shouldn't settle for these people. Tomorrow they would head for Hershel's farm to look for signs of Maggie or anyone else who might have had the same idea.

"Do you want my Daddy to make you leave the group?" Jo screeched in hushed tones to Mitch.

Daryl could sense the beginnings of all hell breaking loose between the divorcee's and took it as his cue to go and find Beth. He didn't want her spending so much alone time with pretty boy anyway. He definitely didn't trust that male model wannabe.

The last Greene was standing ankle deep in the river with a great big smile on her face as she squeezed the water out of what looked like a t-shirt. Her resilience these past few days had surprised him. He would have thought that losing her Daddy and her sister would have torn her apart but it hadn't. The smile on her face was proof of a strength that she didn't even realize she had.

When he thought of all the bad things that had happened in his life he realized he'd long forsaken smiling and looking on the bright side. In fact, he usually looked for the worse in everyone or waited for them to see the worse in him because to Daryl that's pretty much all they ever saw anyway. But not Beth, she gave him that big smile and splashed some water his way with a small kick of her foot.

"You gonna help with laundry?" she laughed.

Daryl took a seat on a rock with his crossbow in between his legs and stared at the five inches of water swishing around her ankles. "Just gonna make sure ya don't drown," he told her before lighting a cigarette. He might have wanted to help out with this group and prove he was useful but there was no way in hell he was going to clean another person's drawers. In fact, he hated cleaning his own damn stuff.

/

Mitch had his dinner in his tent while everyone else ate under the watchful eye of Clive who hadn't thanked Daryl for building the fire or preparing the rabbits. Not that Daryl gave a crap about some old man's gratitude but for Beth's sake he wanted to try and get along with these people. She might want to bring them along for the ride to Hershel's farm and he wouldn't oppose her.

After dinner, pretty boy shared out a bar of chocolate that he had scavenged earlier in the day and the look on Beth's face as he held out the candy was so priceless that Daryl let her have his share. Which in some ways was probably a good thing since a tiny square of chocolate wouldn't have been near enough for his crazy ass sweet tooth and it would have set his cravings in overdrive. God, he loved chocolate.

When the fire died down Clive offered to take the first watch which left Beth and Daryl to decide where they were going to sleep in this little camp.

"Ya'll can share my tent with me," Matt gave his lopsided smile and Daryl looked at Beth. He supposed they couldn't spend the night outside but the idea of being squashed together with pretty boy was as unappealing as a punch to the face.

There was a little camp bed pushed against one edge of the tent and Matt so gallantly offered it to Beth before he asked Daryl, "you wanna sleep bitch?"

 _Bitch?_ Who the hell did this boy think he was? At least he was giving Daryl the choice, sleep in the middle right next to Matt and right next to Beth. Sure she would be a few inches off the ground but the tent was so tiny that she would be close enough that he could hear every little breath, smell the scent of her skin and feel every shift of her body as she moved in the night. Or he could let pretty boy take the middle. _Fuck that._

Beth began to unbutton her jeans and Daryl felt his body freeze in mild shock staring at her fingers as they began to pull at the waistband before he snapped out of it and turned around to give her some privacy. Matt did the same and they stood together while Beth climbed into bed, tucking what Daryl imaged were milky white legs under the covers.

"Bitch?" Daryl asked pretty boy. The slang had sounded so ridiculous coming out of his mouth.

"Your vest… you're a biker right?"

Daryl grunted at the reminder that he'd left Merles bike back at the prison. It was the only damn thing he had left of his big brother and now it was gone just like he was.

"When I was scavenging the other day I came across a cool bike. I couldn't start it but I could take you to where I found it if you want…"

"Maybe," Daryl had to admit his interest was piqued. He loved to ride and as fun as the bicycles had been it wasn't the same as a motorcycle. He imagined riding a motorcycle with Beth perched on the back. Maybe he would go find the bike with pretty boy after all.

"I'm ready," Beth called to them both. Daryl shrugged off his vest and lay down on the bright green camping mat in the middle of the tent. He didn't bother to take off his shoes or anything else in case he needed to get up in the night. The last thing he wanted was to have to fight a group of walkers wearing only his underpants and a wife beater.

/

Beth wasn't sure what time it was when she heard Daryl leaving the tent to take his turn on watch but it felt like the middle of the night. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get back to sleep now that he was gone. She was having the same terrible dreams as yesterday. The last image she had of her Daddy was probably going to haunt her for the rest of her life. Even thoughts of Daryl couldn't chase them away like they had last night.

She pulled on her jeans and poked her head out of the tent. The end of Daryl's cigarette lit up the darkness like a beacon and Beth crept towards him. Instead of mere thoughts of Daryl she hoped that the real thing would help ease the heavy feeling that had settled all over her body.

The sound of the ground crunching underfoot (as she tried her best to be silent) caught his attention and he watched her approach, never taking his eyes off her until she was sitting on the grass next to him. "I couldn't sleep," Beth said.

Daryl scratched his beard and carried on smoking in silence.

"I'm glad we found this group. Jo's nice… pretty too…" she looked at Daryl to study his reaction to the brunettes name but there was none and she felt a relaxation of the tightening that had gripped her chest as she said the words.

In fact Daryl was as stoic as ever.

"Jo was a vet like Daddy… Mitch was a dentist, they met in college."

"I ain't interested in anyone's fancy schoolin'."

Beth wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a sudden chill in the air, "I was only making conversation."

She watched the way his lips wrapped around the cigarette and remembered the way they had felt against her own. There was something dark, dangerous and forbidden about Daryl Dixon. He was older, tougher. Probably the toughest person she had ever met. She licked her lips and felt a need to feel his again. She realized now that she was attracted to him despite their differences. Maybe because of their differences. He was a man and so unlike any of the boys she had held hands with and shared precious few awkward kisses.

If her father was here then she might have reconsidered acting on impulse but there was no one to tell her no and when she thought about she was scared not to give in to temptation. She didn't want to be sheltered little Beth, the baby of the family. She wasn't a baby any more. Everything she had seen in the last few months had made her feel like she was more old lady than teenage girl. "Can I try?"

/

Daryl's head turned to Beth. What was she planning on now? Why the hell couldn't she leave him alone? The past few hours in the tent listening to every sound she made had been driving him to distraction and he was actually happy for the reprieve of watch.

He watched Beth's hand reach for his as she gently took the cigarette from between his fingers. Daryl sat motionless and dumbfounded as she brought it to her mouth and her lips touched the place where his had. He was corrupting her. Less than a week together and he had Hershel's daughter smoking and cursing.

Beth coughed and spluttered trying to hold the noise in with the back of her hand before she passed the cigarette back to him. He stubbed the remainder out of the tree.

"There's a lot of things I've never done before."

Daryl didn't want to contemplate what she meant by _that_. "Jesus Christ Beth… get ya ass back in bed 'fore I have to force ya!"

He stood up, grabbed his crossbow and began to patrol around the little camp. He needed to get some space between himself and Beth before he not only started contemplating what she had meant but started asking her what she'd meant too. Finding Hershel's farm and more survivors was definitely priority number one. Although he suspected that finding a thousand survivors, Maggie and Rick included, probably wouldn't quell the way he was feeling. Maybe nothing would. He watched Beth creep back into the tent, her head spun around to catch him watching her and a slow smile spread across her face, lighting up her bright blue eyes, even in the dark.


	5. Going Home

"You found it then," Beth crouched down besides Daryl.

He ran his hand over the bike and grinned, "yeah."

"It's very… yellow…"

"Yeah," Daryl laughed. "Like a fuckin' canary."

He'd spent the morning with Matt scavenging for supplies and eventually collecting the bike that the boy had seen. Pretty boy definitely hadn't mentioned that the bike was illuminous yellow but by the time they had found the thing he'd been so glad that they could potentially ride it back to camp that he didn't care. Fixing the minor fault had been easy for Daryl who had been working on bikes and engines since he could say the word motorcycle. Riding it back had been another thing. Matt had clung on Daryl's back like a fucking man sized backpack and almost squeezed the goddamn life out of him.

He'd originally wanted to take Beth with him on their little supply run but she had insisted on staying in the camp and helping Jo. To be honest it had probably been better. The morning had been nice without having to constantly look at her and worry about her.

"I think we should make a start for the farm, this camp ain't exactly secure…" last night he'd killed two walkers while on watch and he knew that Jo had killed at least one more this morning.

"I wanna bring them with us," Beth nodded to the small group of survivors who were all sitting around the campfire.

Daryl stood up and wiped the grease on his hands on the rag in his pocket. "Alright." If anything these people were more bodies to help keep the last Greene safe and as far as Daryl was concerned that was the only thing he had left to do in this entire world.

/

Beth and Jo sat in the cabin of Clive's dark blue pickup truck as they followed Daryl's motorcycle to the farm. Mitch and Matt were squeezed into the flatbed along with the tents and the two bicycles that Beth had found and didn't want to leave behind.

She watched the way Daryl's motorcycle weaved around the road as he led the way. Every so often he would jump off and Matt would quickly join him to clear something that was blocking the path.

Beth wanted to be on the back of Daryl's bright yellow motorcycle. She'd never been on one before but more than that she wanted an excuse to wrap her arms around him and lean her body against his back just like she had done at the cabin in the woods when they had drunk all the moonshine.

Daryl had acted strange when she had suggested riding with him. But Beth couldn't quite tell if it was nerves that had put the odd look on his face or something else. Daryl Dixon was hardly the type of man to get scared of anything. The idea that she could make him nervous made a small smile tease her face. She didn't know why but she liked that idea. A lot.

The farm came into view and the smile fell from Beth's face as her heart jumped into her throat. Her family had been so happy here, so many nice memories, Christmases, birthdays and everything in between. She saw the burnt out shell of the barn where her mother and brother had been caged walkers. Suddenly all the happy memories were gone and only the horror remained.

"Stop the truck," Beth shouted in desperation as she grabbed Clive's arm. She needed to get out of the vehicle. The air in the cabin felt too thick to breath and the cramped space where she sat between Jo and Clive felt like it was crushing her.

The truck screeched to a halt and Jo had barely managed to hop out before Beth was scrambling for freedom. She let herself fall to the dirt floor below the long grass where the house and the barn disappeared from sight. She wasn't so sure that going home was a good idea. How could she look at her Daddy's chair with the knowledge that he'd never sit in it again? The knowledge that she'd never see him again.

Beth curled into a ball on the floor and tried to block everything and everyone out as she breathed in the dust from the road and her fingers dug down to carve a hole in the dirt for her to hold on to. For a moment she thought she might stay curled in this spot on the driveway to her farm for the rest of her life. Anything more seemed impossible. She could hear shouts, she could hear something hitting the ground and then she could feel hands on her. Strong hands. Daryl pulled her into his arms and stoked her hair from her face, "ya hurt?"

Was she hurt? Beth looked at her fingernails which were caked in dirt and her own blood. She shook her head and she pressed her face against Daryl's chest, "I saw the barn… I couldn't breathe."

"I got ya," he whispered and ran his hand over her hair soft and slow like he was petting a cat. "We can turn 'round if ya want."

She held onto a fistful of his shirt and let the rise and fall of his chest rock her before she said, "no." She could do this. Being in his arms made her feel like she could do anything. She looked up at his face and her nose gently grazed his jaw, "I just wasn't expecting to feel like this…"

Daryl stood up and pulled her with him. She looked to the ground where a group of freshly killed walkers were scattered then to the truck where Clive and Jo were climbing back inside. She didn't want to get back in that truck. She wanted to be with Daryl when she had to face the house and her Daddy's chair.

/

Beth held onto his arm tightly and Daryl knew she was getting on the bike with him just like he hadn't wanted. But after seeing her losing her shit on the floor like she had he didn't want her to be away from him either. He sat her across his knee in front of him in the most awkward position imaginable but they didn't have much further to go and despite the fact that she was trying to act like everything was okay he could tell she was still upset. The last thing he needed was her falling off the back of his bike and getting herself an injury.

Beth felt so small and vulnerable cradled in his arms as they rode the rest of the way to the farm and her head on his chest felt good. It was warm and comforting and it made him feel like he was really looking after her. The soapy smell of Beth's hair filled his nose and her fingers brushed against his shirt, this was nice. Too nice. It felt right and wrong. The sight of the farm house was enough to make Daryl think of Hershel giving a disapproving stare before smacking him over the head with his crutch. So he tried to keep his thoughts to the road instead of the way his heart was racing and the urge he had to kiss the top of her head.

They pulled up outside of the front of the house. The herd of dead that had destroyed the peace they had found at the farm had moved on. All that remained were a scattering of bodies and some geeks that had lost their limbs and remained immobile since that night but other than that it was as safe as anywhere.

Daryl eased Beth off his motorcycle and out of his arms before he climbed off. He pulled out his knife and she pulled out hers as they headed up the porch steps. The house was still completely intact, not a single mark or broken window. It was like nothing had happened. All the destruction was contained to the outside. It felt eerie, like they could have been standing in the house just yesterday. He remembered Dale begging Rick not to execute Randall and the feeling that they weren't too far gone yet.

Beth ran her hands over an easy chair that sat in the corner of the sitting room before she fell into it and pressed her face into the high back like she was trying to breathe in the smell. Daryl reached his hand out to stroke her hair before changing his mind. He had no rights touching her like that. Instead he thrust his hand into his pocket and caught sight of Sergeant Eyeballs hard grey stare watching him.

"Dixon, Crompton, help me check the perimeter. Josephine see if there's any food," Clive ordered. He didn't bother asking Mitch to do anything since not only was the man was nowhere to be found but he was also the biggest more useless asshole in the entire state of Georgia. When Daryl thought about it the man could genuinely be in the running. There weren't many survivors and how many people made it this far when they were so fucking useless. The asshole hadn't lifted a single finger to pack up camp or to do anything. Daryl was surprised that he could even wipe his own ass.

/

While the men were reinforcing the bits of fence that had broken down and firing up the generator Beth helped Jo locate the supplies that had been left behind when they had to run. There was still plenty of canned food, oats, rice and flour. Jo made flatbreads that and Beth prepared a soup using some tinned vegetables, rice and stock cubes. It was nice to be cooking and keeping busy.

Beth looked out the window and noticed Mitch sitting under a tree with a notebook and pen like it was just an ordinary day and there wasn't a pile of corpses 15 feet from where he sat.

"We were part of a big community for a long time," Jo said as she joined Beth at the window. "Mitch didn't have to go outside of the gates, they didn't want to risk the only dentist and he was happy to let other people do all the dying."

"What happened to that place?"

"Raiders took it." Just like the Governor.

"It must be hard being here with him." Beth nodded towards Mitch. "When everything happened I ended up living with my high school boyfriend. Jimmy was real nice but I wasn't planning on moving in with him you know."

"Yeah… I wish I didn't have to look at him every day. Make excuses for him…" Jo turned her back on the window and wiped her floury hands on a kitchen towel. "You make your bed you better be prepared to lie in it."

The back door swung open and Daryl stepped inside holding up two rabbits. Daryl could take care of anyone and anything. Compared to Mitch he was like a superhero.

"That would take me all day," Jo smiled and took the bunnies from his hand. "Can you teach me to hunt like that?"

"I guess," Daryl rasped before he lifted the pan and took a sniff of the soup and patted his tummy. "Ya'll can save the rabbits for tomorrow, I'm too hungry to wait."

Beth and Jo laughed before ordering him and the other boys to wash up. With the kitchen busy, it almost felt like old times with her family except every single one of the faces was different.

/

"I think we could reinforce this place and stay here for the long haul," Clive announced as dinner was served.

"Yeah we could add to all the fences and maybe set up traps too…" Matt tapped Daryl's shoulder enthusiastically. _Jesus_ , he'd been worrying about pretty boy being all over Beth all day but he was having the opposite problem. The damn kid was like a fucking shadow. Always helping him and asking him a shit tonne of dumb questions. Daryl couldn't quite understand why the boy was so interested in where Daryl had grown up, what his first car was, and a million other personal things.

"You think Maggie might make it back here? It's been over a week since the prison," Beth didn't look up from where she was absentmindedly stirring her soup.

"It took us a week to get here, travelling ain't easy, 'specially if she's in a big group…"

Beth's eyes glanced to his and she smiled. He'd given her hope but it made him feel like an asshole. What if he was wrong? What if he was just making things worse for Beth? He didn't know if Maggie or anyone else would make it but he liked that she didn't want to give up. It made him not want to give up. "They don't turn up 'ere we could go back to the prison, try an' pick up a trail or somethin'."

"Get yourselves killed in the process," Mitch said flatly.

"I think whatever happens we should all stick together," Jo smiled at Daryl before tucking into her soup.

Daryl looked past Jo to the Greene family pictures that covered one of the walls. If Maggie was out there he wanted to find her. He wanted to do that for Beth. He could reinforce this place then take his new bike and scout out the prison on his own if he had to.

/

Beth wanted to sleep in her Daddy's room. She couldn't stand the idea of anyone else touching it. She let Jo and Clive sleep in Maggie's where they could share the double bed. And she gave Matt hers which only had a single. Mitch got the couch downstairs which he complained loudly about but Beth had faced worse than him so she didn't care. That only left Daryl.

"I thought you could share with me, there's plenty of space in the bed and it would be a waste for you to sleep on the floor." In truth she needed him there because without him sleep was impossible.

"I'll be on watch. Why don't ya share with Jo? Then me Clive an' Pre… Matt can swap…"

"I want you." the words fell from Beth's lips before she had a chance to filter them. She felt herself blush and she saw Daryl's face harden before he stepped back. "I mean… I feel safer with you…" Beth reached out to touch him but he stepped back again and her hand fell to her side. She was being stupid. Too forward, part of her felt ashamed for the way she was acting towards him and the way she was starting to feel but another part of her wanted him to know that she thought about that one kiss and wanted to feel another one.

/

Beth probably had no idea what she was saying or doing and if she did then she didn't know what she really wanted. All Daryl knew for sure was there was no way he could share a bed with her without something happening. All he'd have to do would be reach out and touch her. He imagined a horrified look across her face and shuddered. He didn't want to scare her, despite everything she had seen she was still so fucking pure and it wasn't his place to be even thinking about spoiling that. No matter how tempted he was he wasn't going to touch Hershel's daughter, especially not in Hershel's bed. He could at least promise himself not to dishonour her Daddy like that even if he couldn't seem to control his own thoughts.

"You'll be safe with Jo," he'd seen the brunette take on several walkers now and the women could handle herself. He trusted her.

"I-" Beth inched closer to him and he almost changed his mind. His heart was thudding so loud it made his ears hurt.

"Look, I gotta go check the fences again," Daryl interuppted before she could finish whatever it was she was trying to say. He needed to run away. How much longer he could avoid the weird situation that was growing between them he couldn't say but he sure as shit was going to be talking to her about it. What the hell would he say? 'Beth if I spend the night with ya it won't be for sleeping.' For a moment Daryl imagined actually saying the words to her. It sounded like the type of sleazy ass line that Merle would quite happily say to a woman.

He hopped down the porch and walked around the side of the house until he was out of view then he lit a cigarette before shifting the front of his jeans to relieve the uncomfortable bulge that had formed on its own accord.

"Can I bum a smoke?" Jo ducked out from behind the house and leaned against the siding almost scaring him half to death.

"Don't go fuckin' sneakin' up on people… I could have fuckin' shot ya."

"With your crossbow sitting on the floor?" Jo laughed and kicked the corner of his bow with the toe of her boot.

Daryl picked up his bow and threw it over his shoulder before he passed her a cigarette and lit the end. "I'm gonna check the perimeter," he began to walk away.

"I'll join you."

* * *

 **A/N-** Big thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed and left a comment :)


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